When You Become A Swan
by Sellybelly411
Summary: Emma and the Charmings, as well as Regina and all the other fairy tale characters finally return to the Enchanted Forest. But not all is well, a new villain has appeared who has his sights set on Emma. And this time, it seems that the Savior is the one that needs saving.
1. A Swan Song

A Swan Song

Emma Swan struggled to regain air as a large shadow tentacle wrapped around her neck. She wheezed and coughed, knowing she was on her deathbed. The six bravest woman stood around her, watching in horror. They wanted to help Emma, but the shadow didn't seem to be affected by any of their attacks. It wasn't like Pan's shadows, these had a mind of their own. Though there was a man, a very frightening man. He wasn't _completely_ controlling the shadows, but that didn't seem to stop him, "Looks like I caught myself a Swan." He said, and cackled evilly. He snapped his fingers and pointed at Emma, "Now, kill her."

The shadow squeezed her tighter, and Emma wanted to scream but didn't have enough air.

" _EMMA!"_

Emma looked around and mustered a weak smile. This was the end.

 **2 Years Earlier, The Enchanted Forest.**

Emma Swan looked herself over in her full length mirror. It was her first week living in the Enchanted Forest, and she was handling it better than her parents expected. Emma wiggled her knees, and the metal armor rattled. She pulled her long, wavy blonde hair into a ponytail and set her tiara on top of her head. It was the only accessory she ever wore out in public. In her right hand was a magnificent sword, a present from her father. He had given it to her on their first day back.

"You look amazing."

Emma turned around, and smiled when she saw her father; King "Charming" David.

"Mom was practically begging for me to wear something more...formal." Emma said, "But I am _not_ going down that road again." Emma shuddered as fake memories as Princess Emma came to her mind, "Armor seems much more suitable for me anyway."

Charming clasped Emma's shoulder, "I agree." He pulled her close and they hugged. Emma rested her head against her father's cold breastplate.

"Oh, great. Did I interrupt another _Charmin- "_

Emma smiled at Regina, formerly known as the Evil Queen. She smiled when she saw Emma. She lifted up the skirt of her dress and walked over to her, "You look wonderful." Regina said, smiling at how gallant Emma looked. She beamed at her friend, "Thanks Regina." Emma looked over her shoulder, "I'm going out for a bit." She said to her father.

"But Emma you know what day it i-"

"Yes, I know. And I'll be back in time, no worries."

Charming looked anxious, but nodded. He knew whether or not he approved, Emma would go out and do it anyway.

She threw open the humongous double doors and exited her bedroom; Regina and Charming watching her.

Emma sat alone in the woods, feeling nervous for what was about to come. The _event_ she had to attend tonight was for her birthday. Emma didn't want them to go all out for her party, but doubted she had a choice.

"Emma?" A female voice said from behind her. She didn't have to look up, she knew whose voice it belonged to.

Regina Mills sat down next to Emma, looking concerned. Emma looked up at Regina, her chin resting on her fist.

"Hey Regina."

"What's wrong with you?"

Emma looked away, "Today's my birthday." She admitted.

"It is? Why is that a problem?"

"Because my parents are throwing this huge birthday ball for me. I don't need all that attention, I'd be happy enough with just a cupcake. That's how I spent my 28th birthday. "

"Which you also spent _alone."_ Regina pointed out. Emma rolled her eyes.

"You know Emma, you might be the first princess I've met that doesn't want attention."

Emma scoffed, "And I'm guessing that's a bad thing, right?"

"Absolutely not."

Emma turned her head and observed Regina, "Is that so?"

Regina chuckled, "Yes."

Emma smiled, only for a second.

"Well, you're the only one that agrees with me." She stared at the ground.

Regina smiled, "Where do I say you are?"

"On a journey deep in the forest, but I'll be back by morning."

"And where will you _really_ be?" Regina inquired.

"Down by the lake."

Regina nodded and pulled herself up, holding onto the skirt of her dress. She turned around, "Just be careful, alright?"

"Always."

Regina nodded and walked away, heading toward the castle. As soon as she had disappeared behind a grove of trees, Emma stood up. She walked in the opposite direction until she finally reached the lake.

Emma had only been standing there for five seconds, but then felt a sudden cold gust of wind. She knew something was wrong, and turned around.

"Princess Emma, we meet at last."

Emma raised her eyebrow, her eyes locked on the tall man standing in front of her. He had dark chocolate skin and a gap in his front teeth.

"Who the hell are you?" Emma asked.

"Oh, where are my manners?" He tipped his tall top hat, "Forgive me princess, I am Dr. Facilier."

"What do you want with me?" Emma asked, unsheathing her sword and pointing it to his throat.

He clicked his tongue three times, "You really are as tough as they say Princess. Unfortunately, a object as pathetic as that won't make a single scratch. "

" _Answer my question."_ Emma demanded.

"Oh my, if I weren't here to destroy you I might be tempted to kiss you."

"Destroy me?"

"Yes, Princess. You see, I have a plan. A plan to take over your precious kingdom, and burn it to the ground."

Emma growled and held up her right palm, which was glowing with light magic.

Dr. Facilier smirked, "I will only succeed when _you_ are out of the picture."

He suddenly snapped his fingers, and a large shadow wrapped around Emma. She felt herself shrinking, and her mouth growing (was it turning orange?) And then she found herself on the ground, looking _up_ at , no longer at eye-level.

"What did you do to me?" Emma asked, but all that came out was _"Whoop, whoop,whoop!"_

Facilier smirked, "Sorry, I don't speak _swan."_

"What?" Emma whooped.

smiled evilly and twirled his cane, then _poofed_ away into a cloud of grey magic.

Emma waddled over to the lake, her heart beating overtime. Nervous, she stretched her long neck downward and jumped at her reflection. There she was, in all her glory, a swan.

She cocked her head to the side and raised her wings, which were very large and surprisingly light. Emma wanted to cry, but it appeared she had the inability. Then she noticed the design along the top of her head; it was a light grey, and looked awfully like her tiara. If only she could get to the Kingdom and get Snow White to talk to her, then Regina could change her back.

 _But I'm so tired…,_ Emma thought.

She looked up at the sky, realizing it was now evening. Turns out, having the magic drained out of you and being transformed into a swan could really make time fly. Emma lazily flew into the water and tucked her head under her wing, and quickly falling asleep.


	2. A Few Changes

A Few Changes

In the Grand Hallway, the Charmings found themselves in a bit of a pickle the day after Emma's birthday ball. Regina had promised their daughter would return by morning, but she was nowhere to be seen.

"Regina, you said she would be back by now!" Charming yelled, panicking.

"I know what I said, and it won't be much use if we stand here fighting about it. Let's just go out and _look_ for Emma. Maybe we should start with the lake."

"David, Regina's right. We have to be out there, we have to _look_ for her." said Snow White.

"I'll go with Regina, you and Henry stay here."

Charming tried to argue, but Snow stood her ground, refusing to let him come. She grabbed her bow and arrow then followed Regina out the door.

"I hope she's alright…" She worried aloud.

"She'll be fine," Regina said, "I think she can take care of herself."

Snow and Regina walked in silence the rest of the way, both holding onto hope that Emma was alright. When they finally reached the lake though, all they saw was a swan.

"She's not here." Snow said.

"Well, thanks for stating the obvious."

Emma turned around, and was thrilled to see her mother and Regina. She quickly waddled up to shore, whooping with glee. Snow seemed annoyed, and ignored the fidgeting bird.

" _Whoop,whoop! Whoop whoop whoop? Whoop whoop, whoop!"_ Which roughley translated to "Mom, Regina! Don't you recognize me? Its me, Emma!"

Snow suddenly froze, and slowly turned around.

"What's wrong?" Regina asked.

" _Whoop whoop whoop whoop whoop whoop! Whoop whoop!"_

"This swan, she says she's Emma."

" _What?!"_ Regina said.

"She says an evil sorcerer turned her into a swan, because she was the only thing that stood in the way of his plans."

Regina bent down next to Emma, "Yes, it most definitely is her." Regina confirmed.

"How do you know?" Snow asked.

"Just look at her head, it has strange markings on it. It looks like-"

"-her tiara." Snow agreed, baffled.

Both women stood there, immobilized.

" _Whoop, whoop whoop!"_ Emma said, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"Emma's right, please help her Regina."

Regina studied Emma, then muttered an incantation under her breath. Emma was losing her feathers and regaining height. But something was still different, there was still a hint of swan in her body.

"Regina, thank _whoop!"_ Emma covered her mouth, emberreced.

"What's wrong?" Snow said, "Why is she still talking like that?"

Regina bowed her head, "This person Emma spoke of, he clearly has much more advanced magic than I do. So this was the best I could do. She'll be human, but still have some swan inside her."

Snow and Emma stared at Regina in awe, both looking desperate to break this awful curse.

"So...I _whoop_ be able to speak _whoop_ normal- _whoop?"_ Emma looked on the verge of tears, and Regina didn't blame her.

"There's another catch." Regina said.

" _Whoop?"_ Emma said.

"Since I couldn't break this curse _all_ the way, she won't be human forever. In the morning, she will be a swan. In the evening, she'll be human."

Emma broke into sobs, and Snow had to walk her to the castle for the rest of the way, hugging her close so she'd feel some comfort.

When Emma refused to walk any longer, Regina poofed them into the castle, where Emma waddled past her relieved father and son and locked herself in her bedroom.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Charming asked Snow and Regina.

After everything was explained, neither Henry or Charming spoke for a while.

"There's no way to fix it?" Henry finally asked.

"There is, but that involves finding whoever did this to her. And I have a feeling he won't be removing her curse anytime soon." Regina said.

"So you're saying _our_ daughter is going to be a swan forever?"

"That's not true Charming, we told you she'd be human in the evening…"

"But she'll _still_ act like a swan! This is ridiculous, how will the kingdom react when-" He stopped himself right there.

"So," Snow White said, "The thoughts of the kingdom are more important than our daughter's well being?"

"That's not what I meant-"

"We should be _lucky_ that we at least got her to her normal state, even if it means she'll have a few new changes. Because all I care about right now is that we found her, so you should be grateful."

Charming bowed his head and heard the angry stomps of Snow's boots walking away, Regina following her.

In her bedroom, Emma was still crying into her pillow. She had hoped that when Regina turned her back everything would be normal again. She'd be back home, and she was. But everything seemed different, not just her but the _castle._ Her bed felt lumpy and uncomfortable and everything in the room seemed strange and unfamiliar.

Emma was starving, and she usually ordered meat, today she craved something completely new. Something no _human_ would ever think of eating. Grass. It sounded so good right now, wet with rain from the previous night. It would taste _wonderful._

So she rang for the royal chef. He came in quickly, and bowed to her.

"I am rather _whoop!"_

The chef looked at her in confusion, and Emma sighed, "hungry."

The chef nodded, "What can I get you?"

"Grass." Emma said, before she could stop herself.

"Grass, Princess? Wouldn't you rather ham instead?"

"No, not tonight."

"This is a very peculiar request, Princess."

"I'm aware." Emma said, followed by a _whoop!_

The cook looked unsure, but nodded, "How would you like it cooked?"

"Raw." Emma said, already regretting this conversation.

The cook bowed his head then left.

Emma facepalmed. She shouldn't have called him in, now the entire royal staff would think she was going insane. No princess no _person_ would ever order grass for a meal. But Emma wasn't human, at least not completely.

The chef came back an hour later. He served a whole plate of grass to her on a silver platter, and Emma noticed the fresh dirt on his fingers. She thought to herself why plucking some grass from the ground would take so long, but she was to hungry to think about it. The chef had put silver fork on her tray and a few napkins. Emma ignored both and used her hands instead. The chef was staring at her, watching the princess eating so inappropriately.

Emma looked up, and immediately wiped her face and picked up her fork when she saw the chef starring at her.

"Forgive me," The chef said, noticing how shamefaced Emma seemed, "I shall go now."

He opened the doors and saw himself out, thinking about the princess. He was so deep in thought that he bumped straight into Snow White and Charming, "Forgive me, your majesties." He apologized.

"You were just leaving Emma's room." Said Snow. It was not a question, but an observation.

"Yes ma'am. Though, if you'll let me, I'd like to ask what is wrong with her. She's acting strange, making strange noises, ordering the most peculiar food."

This snapped Snow out of her daze, "What did she order?"

"Grass." He responded.

Snow White and David exchanged worried looks, and walked passed the chef. It was David who knocked on Emma's door, and a soft _"whoop"_ answered.

They walked in and saw Emma laying on her bed, shoveling handfuls of grass into her mouth. She looked so sheepish, but continued eating without hesitation.

"Emma?" Snow said softly, approaching Emma's king sized bed. She pulled herself up, expecting Emma to refuse her company or turn away. But instead, Emma moved to the side a bit so her mother could lay with her.

"The chef told us what you ordered."

Emma didn't respond, but looked away in shame.

"Is it any good?"

Emma nodded, _very_ slowly.

David wanted to come speak to his daughter as well, but he was worried what he would say. Snow felt the same, and motioned for him to leave. Once he had left, Snow snuggled down next to her daughter. They stayed like that for a while, until Emma suddenly broke the ice, "I haven't ever felt like this be- _whoop…"_

"Embarrased? Sweetie, it happens to everyone."

"Yea- _whoop_ that's true, _whoop_ never for this long…"

"Look at me." Snow commanded, "Emma _look_ at me."

Emma refused, so Snow White was forced to pull her up. She held her daughter's face in her hands, "Emma, you are the bravest woman I know."

"But I'm not human...not completely...so how could I be a woman?"

"Not being human _all_ the time doesn't mean you aren't a woman Emma. You have survived so much, even when it seemed impossible. How does one tiny spell make a difference?"

"It's nearly morning." Emma said, "I'm going to go open the windows." Emma stood up and unlatched them, and only a few seconds after that she turned into a swan. Snow watched her little girl fly out the window, feeling so worried.

She had never seen Emma like this, _never._

Meanwhile, down at the lake Emma was floating in the water. She wished she had someone to talk to, an animal, not just her mother.

"So, he got to you too."

Emma's feathers ruffled and she nearly fell head-first into the water. She looked around, trying to find where the voice came from.

"Down here, miss."

Emma looked down, and saw a frog sitting down on a lilypad, "My name's Tiana."

.


	3. The Frog Princess

The Frog Princess

"So, he got to you too."

Emma's feathers ruffled and she nearly fell head-first into the water. She looked around, trying to find where the voice came from.

"Down here, miss."

Emma looked down, and saw a frog sitting down on a lily pad, "My name's Tiana."

Emma stayed silent for a moment, thinking about how quick her wish had been granted.

"What's your name?" Tiana asked.

"Emma."

Tiana smiled, "You aren't really a swan, are you miss?"

"I'm not quite sure." Emma admitted, "Are you not a frog?"

"Would I be asking you these questions if I was?"

Emma nodded, "Who did this to you?"

"The Shadowman. Well, Navine _._ That stupid frog must have flies flying around in his-" Tiana stopped talking and licked her lips. She opened her mouth as a fly flew by, and caught it with her tongue and swallowed.

"Navine?" Emma asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Yes, but he doesn't matter. He's just another thorn in my side."

" _Hey!"_ A voice yelled from behind Tiana.

Tiana rolled her eyes and turned to face the male frog, "Just keep mincing."

Emma frowned, "Who exactly is the Shadowman?"

"A evil man, twists up your words and spits them out. He's the king of voodoo in New Orleans. He's got some nasty friends on the other side."

"I don't think he's the one that cursed me, this was another man. His name was Dr. Facilier."

Tiana jumped back, "That's the Shadowman you _fool!"_

Emma stayed quiet, now feeling more stupid than ever. Tiana saw this and felt guilty, "I'm sorry Emma. I didn't mean to say that."

Emma stayed quiet, like she did a lot these days.

"Do you know why he did this to you?"

"Not completely. I mean, he said that I, 'Princess Emma' was the only thing standing in the way of his plans. He said he is going to take over my kingdom and burn it to the ground."

"You're a princess?" Tiana asked.

Emma frowned, _Damn_ , she thought. Another conversation ruined because she had made another stupid comment of her being a princess.

"I wonder what he wants with you. I mean, he's usually not one to feel threatened."

Emma ignored Tiana, and looked to the side. Passers-by were staring at Emma and Tiana. To the all they heard were _whoops_ and _croaks._

"The sun is setting." Emma announced, and began to waddle up to shore.

"What _are_ you doin'?" Tiana asked.

"Getting out of the water."

The moon then rose, and Emma transformed back into her human state. Tiana was staring at her in awe, "You just…. I thought you were a swan…"

Emma shrugged, "I am. Sometimes." She admitted, "Just during the day."

Emma was quite surprised that she could still talk to Tiana, given that she was human again. Tiana clearly felt the same way.

Emma picked up the ends of her dress, the one made from swan feathers. When she transformed, this was always the outfit she wore.

She turned around and waddled in the direction of the castle.

"Emma."

Emma nearly screamed when Regina materialized in front of her. Instead, she tripped over her own orange flats and fell. Regina rolled her eyes and helped Emma up, "Dammit, Regina!" Emma shouted, brushing off her dirty dress, which had begun to molt.

"Sorry, didn't mean to frighten you."

"Well, job not well done."

"Your parents want to talk to you."

"They're already embarrassed of me, _whoop!"_

Regina bit her lip, "We've been… talking."

Emma adjusted her tiara and stared at Regina, " _whoop…?"_

"Your mother and I are very opposed to this, but your father insisted."

" _Whoop_ are you _whoop_ -ing about?"

Regina exhaled, "He wants you to live here, at the lake."

Emma rolled her eyes and sat down crisscross applesauce on the grass, " _Whoop_ I'm not surprised."

"You aren't? "'

"No- _whoop!_ I heard what he said in the castle after you found me. H- _whoop!_ He's embarrassed of me. It was only a _whoop_ of time."

"Snow really is something...she nearly beat him to death after he suggested-" Regina put quotes around that word- "We leave you here."

"And you? Do you want to leave me here?"

"Emma, you _know_ I don't. That's why, despite what your ridiculous father said, Snow and I have rebuilt your bedroom in the castle, and Charming has no clue about."

" _Really?_ "

"Yes, _really._ We got rid of your bed and dug a huge hole in the ground, about the size of this lake. We filled it with water so you could sleep there. Only the water is much cleaner _._ And yes, I know human girls don't sleep in the ocean it's a 'just in case' sort of thing. Because well, who knows what you're capable of now. There is an open skylight in case you want to fly around in the morning, frolic with your animal friends, whatever you want to do. _Anyway,_ it's basically everything a swan would want, ."

"And _yes,_ I did add fresh grass. So if you're hungry at night, the Royal cook won't have to scrub the dirt off his fingers before he makes a meal for Snow and Charming." Emma licked her lips, and Regina rolled her eyes when she saw.

"The Royal Gardener will plant new grass every other day, because who knows how fast you go through that stuff."

Emma was in a daze, and Regina snapped her fingers in front of Emma's face. She looked mortified, "S-Sorry."

Regina shrugged, "You can't control it."

"Anything else?"

"Oh, yes. Your mother and I will be checking in on you every now and then at night to make sure you're adapting well."

"'Adapting?'"

"Just, getting used to your room. Oh, and we added a special bathroom just for you. Because if you do your business in that lake, The Royal-"

"Yes, I _get_ it. Don't shit in the lake, right?"

"Basically."

Emma sighed, "I want to see this for myself."

Regina nodded, and grabbed Emma's hand. She then poofed them back to the castle into Emma's room. Correction; Emma's _new_ room. She squealed with glee (A sound Regina hadn't heard her make before) and ran inside. She inspected everything in the room, the only thing she didn't like was the toilet room. There were two separate ones-one when she was human, and one when she was a bird. She didn't mind the human one, but despised the bird one. There was a little perch inside a cage, and a little wooden drain under it.

The bathtub she liked. Like the bathroom, there was one for when she was human and one for when she was a bird. A bath and a birdbath, a clever idea. Emma ran around, smiling at everything she saw.

Emma was about to jump in the water when she noticed the bed. It was _literally_ a waterbed. The water was floating above the lake, held up thanks to Regina's magic, the water kept going up without stopping. On it was a large lily pad (Which Emma guessed was supposed to be her pillow) and a woven blanket made from tree leaves.

"I'm glad you like it."

Emma jumped, she had forgotten Regina was here!

"Yeah, Its pretty cool." Emma stated, her eyes now locked on the endless amount of grass in her room. She nearly passed out.

"Hey, Regina? I'm tired, I think I-I better go to bed." Emma faked a yawn, but Regina saw right through her.

"Eat to your heart's content Swan. I'm going to go eat my _own_ dinner." She stated.

So that's what Emma did. She ate and ate and ate until a quarter of her room was just dirt. When she finished, Emma wiped her green-stained mouth and stepped into the water, not bothering to change out of her clothes. She stepped upon the waterbed, afraid she would fall through, but she didn't. Emma could pull herself up on the bed, the cold water felt good against her skin. She pulled the thin, woven blanket over herself and snuggled down into her pillow. She had never felt more relaxed in her life. So, like a swan, Emma curled up and tucked her head under her arm and fell asleep.

Emma woke up late into the morning, around two in the afternoon. She craned her neck downward and raised her wings. They were beautiful, but the slightest bit messy. She probably had rolled in her sleep last night, which ruined her feathers. Emma wondered why she cared, but began to preen her feathers anyway.

She finished quickly, and ate a quick breakfast before flying off. Emma was curious to see whether Tiana was still there or not, silently hoping she still wouldn't be reacting as she did when Emma turned into a human.

Emma settled herself in the water, and paddled around looking for Tiana. She didn't have to look long though.

"Princess Emma, you're back."

Emma turned around, relieved to see Tiana hadn't left.

"You can just call me Emma, you know."

Tiana smiled, "All right then. While Navine is over there doin' nothing, why don't you come join us? I have a feeling Navine will be pleased as punch to meet another royal." She rolled her eyes, which made Emma smile.

Tiana jumped ahead, checking every once in a while, that Emma was still behind her. When they reached the lily pad where Navine was sitting, Tiana had to clear her throat so he would acknowledge her presence.

"Oh, hello Tiana. Have you finally brought me my food?" He asked, like he was all high and mighty.

"No Mr. Do-Little, I did bring a friend though. Unlike you, she wasn't _tricked_ by the Shadowman, because _Princess Emma_ here has sense in that head of hers."

Navine put his makeshift guitar down and hopped over to Emma, "You are royalty?"

She nodded, and he smiled, "Why would _anyone_ punish a royal? I did nothing wrong!"

"Except your constant whining." Tiana commented.

"What kingdom do you come from, princess?"

"Misthaven."

"Misthaven? Oh, and you do nothing wrong, yes?"

"Yes."

"You are just a gentle soul, who has your servants wait on you. Like a good princess, yes?"

"No." Emma responded.

"See, she unders- _what?"_ He sounded surprised, because what princess would _never_ rely on her staff. Ridiculous.

"I can fend for myself." She said.

"Bu-but, the men, they can fend for you. _Protect_ the princess, like they should."

"But what if a man isn't around to protect me? I need to know how to protect _myself."_

Navine frowned, she had a point.

"Madame, how exactly do you plan to do that? It's not like you can learn how to defend yourself right away. I mean, I can teach you a few moves for you. But the advanced stuff is to hard for you."

"I can fight for myself, thank you. I am actually very skilled with a sword."

" _What?"_ He asked, as if he had never heard of a sword-fighting princess before. Which he probably hadn't.

Tiana giggled, and I raised my chest in pride.

"Well, Ms. Emma, maybe you could show me these moves later. And maybe," he took one of her wings' with his slimy hands,"We can build a powerful relationship,no?"

"No."

Navine facepalmed, no woman had rejected him like that before, "Why, may I ask?"

"I am already married."

She now had another valid point, "Is your prince...,"

"Captain Hook."

"A _pirate?_ Ugh, you have horrible taste. A handsome prince seems much more suitable."

"Technically, he is a prince now."

 _This pen is impossible!_

This would be a morning to remember. He could just tell.


End file.
